“Duped” that’s how Joe Kitchen, father of Kiya who was killed by a hit and run vehicle said he felt when he heard lawyers for his former wife, Marci, had filed a motion to withdraw from the case because she had run out of money to pay. “It is a stall tactic in my opinion,” he said. “Why would they spend that much money and back out?”

Marci Kitchen is charged with manslaughter in the death of her daughter Kiya and Faith Tsarnas. The two teenagers had been walking not far from Marci’s home when they were struck and killed by a vehicle that the prosecution says was driven by Marci.

Kiya’s father is calling for the community to pack the courtroom tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. to let the judge know that Marci and her attorneys should not be allowed to push back the trial date which is currently set for May 29 again.

Marci Kitchen

“Enough’s enough,” Joe Kitchen said. “It is not about me. But it’s about my son. About Faith’s brother and sister. It’s about the community. It is time to move on. My son is a Freshman in college. It is not fair to him to have this hanging over his head.”

Joe posted on his Facebook page that there was a hearing at the Humboldt County Courthouse tomorrow–Tuesday–8:30 a.m. “Anybody that can make it show up,” he wrote. “I’m hearing [they’re] going to give her more time…FUCK THAT…It’s time !!”

He told us in an interview he requested that if the motion to allow her attorneys to withdraw was granted, the case would drag on another “six months to a year.”

He requested that if possible people show up tomorrow to let the judge know the community’s feelings.

“I’m not a lawyer,” he said, “just some hick. But I know this will give her more time to run around free. It don’t feel right.”

45 comments

Bail system needs to change, while poor people sit in jail waiting on minor charges because they cant get the money, this woman gets to be out of jail and go on vacation in Mexico.
Her attorneys backing out is SO a stall tactic. If she was sitting in jail this whole time she’d be begging for court case.

Part of the problem has been the defunct DA office that pushed many serious trials back at least a month or two. Look it up, there are multiple articles about it, and educate yourself to make a good decision when you vote whether to keep Fleming or not.

Seems this family has not gotten the help they deserve.
May they find justice and completion as soon as possible!!!
It’s f*ckin ridiculous that this family has been through so much and has to reach out to the community to get help to get the court system to hear them.

Just to clarify, it was the PD’s office that experienced staffing problems, not the DA’s. And what does it matter? She has had a private attorney all this time, so PD staffing is irrelevant. The delay appears excessive, but I doubt that showing up en masse will have any effect, as judges are supposed to be immune to such displays lest it appear to be lynch mob justice.

She deserves prison time for killing her own flesh and blood and her daughters friend. She needs no mercy after all she has done. It is a very good thing they don’t have me on her Jury trial. I to have lost 2 daughters and there friend in a fatal car accident at the hands of a person they wern’t supposed to be with and all he got was a slap on the wrist even tho he broke the terms of his probation. Total disregard for life of another Human Being. The guy who took my daughters lives and that of there friend didn’t get jail or a fine not nothing thanks to D.A. Paul Gallegos and Judge Christopher Wilson who by the way dated this kids aunt and we were never told until after Trial Ended. I tried to file a complaint with the American Bar Association in San Francisco for Conflict of Intrest against Judge Wilson, but they never did a thing about it beings trial ended. This Lady and gentlemen is just how Screwed Up Our Justice System Is. It needs change and Overhauling otherwise Criminals will continue to get away with Murder ect.. Just speaking my Mind.

After most of the lawyers who were the Deputy PD’s quit over the useless piece of work our board of STUPIDVISORS, tried to stick us with!!! Some came back but others evidently found other work & did NOT return!!! Remember this in November vote out ALL of them!!! For this & many other things as well that are absolutely NOT beneficial to this county!!!

This doesn’t seem like a difficult case to be heard. The offense originally happened around July 12, 2016.
19 months seems like plenty of time to have it done. What’s going on? Does it really take nearly two years for a non-complicated case to be tried in Humboldt? Why doesn’t the judge say, ‘Enough is enough, get your preliminary reports in, the court date for decision is set, no more continuances.’

Joe Kitchen is right. It’s time. In fact, it’s way past time, it’s long overdue.

When a court system is designed for and run by attorneys, it become a game. The only goal is to win by cleverness, not for society and certainly not justice, but for the lawyers personally. They use the lack of perfection in any system as a tool to paralyze opponents. If the court system allows time to achieve perfect preparation, there will never be a judgement at all.

That and the longer a case takes to get through Court the more money everyone involved makes. If you people don’t want lawyers running the country quit voting them in office, like Governor Brown, Barack Obama.. just to name two, but there are literally thousands of politicians that were lawyers and will go back to being lawyers once they’re out of office. Lawyers and the over complication of our legal system to justify their profession have paralysed the country. why do you think these people can commit so many crimes and not serve any real time without any real consequences? it’s all about interpreting the law and finding loopholes, and don’t forget the true bottom line money. same reason some of the biggest corporations in the world don’t pay taxes. it’s just ridiculous! Until we get money out of politics and money out of law nothing will change.

the humboldt court system is overburdened. the judges have three times the caseload of an average california judge. the reason is because humboldt county is a drugged out crime ridden place. yes, this lady should have fessed up. shed be out of jail by now. as it is , she continues to reside in a hateful community where she is constantly ostracized , especially by her ex-husband who i bet isnt much better morally than her.jail would have been better for her but she will eventually go to jail. the maximum sentence is four years, the minimum, probation and county jail up to a year.so quit the hate. this could have happened to anyone. i am certain her act was not intentional. fear and bad legal advice made her lie. she has to live with that,too. shes being punished already.

Too bad those girls won’t be able to forgive her, or let her know she’s been punished enough. Public ostracizing should be expected. And warranted. If the courts and attorneys keep stalling, who said the public needs to have anything to do with her in the meantime? And why should they? Nobody iscrequired to be nice to her, only law-abiding. Remember, those girls don’t have a voice anymore.

My father was hit April 17th of 2015 he later died may of that year
The lady who hit him was not brought to justice til July of 2016
I pray you all find closure and that your pain is no longer drug out
My prayers are with you

The most selfish and pigheaded loser of all time. If some old crusty drunk man had done this to these girls the trial wouldve ended a year ago. Why are they continuing to give pity to a lousy drunk only because she shares dna with the victim? She didnt feel guilty about it when she asked her son to cover it up for her. Was gung ho to recruit her own kid to cover the murder, guilt only set in when she realized who she hit..
Our justice system is based off smooth talking and money not actual justice.

Just shows what a joke our so- called ” system of justice ” a remorseless killer with financial means can literally shop their way out of trouble. This horrible crime is made even worse by utterly craven attempts to evade responsibility.

Super ridiculous. The wheels of justice are sure spinning slower than that Jeep she was driving. Lord have mercy, get it done. Give the family the last chapter in this never ending saga. Justice is blind, in this case blind, deaf and MUTE!!!

Enough is enough !! Our niece was killed also by a drunk driver in Dec. 2016… We are still waiting to go to trial.. With lawyer changes and not getting things ready… We are to go to trial in April.. I hope you get that courtroom filled.. She should be held accountable, her daughter does not have that choice..